Do you ever feel like you have to dig really deep to find a new way to cook ground turkey? This was one of those times, and it turned out really well. Originally, this was going to be a salmon dish, but I forgot to add it to the grocery list. I know you know the feeling of “I’m so tired of cooking” so I hope this recipe finds you when you need it the most 🙂

A little reminder: Kid Two is allergic to beef, and so am I. If I had to guess, this would be a great meal to substitute in ground beef.

I have a riddle for you. What’s pretty on the outside and not that great on the inside? If you read the Purple Pepper Post, you’ll know, it’s the orange peppers! Sometimes you get a bad one when it’s organic 🙁

When I was a kid, I had something so delicious, but I kinda only sorta know what it was. It was red potatoes, but with Cajun seasoning… or crab seasoning… see, I kinda don’t remember, but I know that it was eaten near New Orleans, so it must be Cajun inspired at the least. In addition to that, I LOVED red beans and rice as a child. I could eat bowls of that stuff, and that’s where the inspiration for these peppers truly come from.

Now, some of you may know that the kids, especially Kid Two, hates spicy things. I have to always keep that in mind as I’m creating things, especially anything Cajun inspired 🙂 Needless to say, everyone really enjoyed the meal, however, I can safely say that if you’re a fan of spice, please feel free to add much more.

We were had by the peppers. I tell the kids whenever this happens that this is the “price” we pay for organic. You win some, you lose some. You’ll see in the image that there are 5 cute little peppers, one for everyone. However, much to our surprise, all but one was bad on the inside. What amazed us is that they were all so perfect looking on the outside. Yet, I was able to do a small victory dance because hey, at least I got one to take a picture of.

I feel like I’ve been on an international kick lately in the kitchen… At first, I thought these peppers were semi-Spanish, then I realized they were taco inspired. I was feeling like they needed something more to attain a full Spanish status… Anywho, I saw something really pretty online, and knew I wanted to do something with multi-coloured peppers, and this is what I came up with.

You’ll love this though. Originally, I was going to add sprouted red rice to this. The rice didn’t cook. It boiled, and when we put the lid on to let it simmer, apparently it did noting. So the rice was hard and had to be left out. In the end, I think it worked out better. Remind me to tell you about how the stove exploded… I’ve been cooking on a portable induction hot-plate like item for weeks… Back to the recipe.

More than anything, I was SOOOO thrilled and somewhat feeling proud that I had the kids eating OUT OF peppers!!! I asked them to try their first bite with the pepper itself, and as always, they were willing to go along with my crazy idea for a bite or two. Well, Kid Three and Kid Four loved the pepper bowl. Kid Two, not so much, as he’s very sensitive to spicy things. Either way, it was a total win, win, win, and they all went back for seconds, and they were super happy when I pulled out their favorite potato chips so they could eat it dip style if they wanted.

As if that’s not enough, I also had the joy of introducing the kids to ramps. I hadn’t heard of them before this season. I’ve been seeing them on GoodEggs.com, a place we like to get items from. After seeing them for a while with the leaves, then as bulbs only with the warning that this was the end of the season, I decided to make the jump. When they arrived, I couldn’t stop smelling them. Uh-MAZE-ing. Kid two was like, eh. Kid Three. He so totally got me on this one. He was into the smell just as much as I was. What made me really happy though was that after everything was cooked and Kid Two tried a cooked ramp piece on its own, he was in love with them too! What more could I possibly have asked for? On to the recipe and photos!!!

The inspiration for this dish came from several places. First, we had some potatoes that needed attention. I hate wasting food, so they had to be used. We also have this new rule in the house: if I can’t take a picture of it (for a book or a blog) then I’m not cooking and you have to do it yourself. No one was around to do the cooking, so I had to get inventive. Lately I’ve been wanting to do more with traditional Indian spices. I’ve dabbled a little, but have been wanting the kids to experience new tastes. In the past, I’ve done many variations of “pan/baked potatoes” and wanted to do them again, but with more colour and well, just different. I had recently purchased Indian spices and had the kids try them (with frosting), and decided to go on an adventure. Kid Two and Kid Three went with me, and seriously wanted to eat them all. They had to wait for The Papa and Kid Four to come home, and for some strange reason, couldn’t stop asking when they’d get here so dinner could be served.

This is a really simple meal that comes together quickly. I still haven’t decided if I had a problem with the crab meat yet. I had some sinus issues the day after I ate this, so who knows. If you’re like me and can get allergens through the meat you eat, tread lightly. If you’re not like me and aren’t so bad off, have a jolly good time with this one. It was quite enjoyable. Read More